Acts: How To Respond To Jesus

Well, good morning. It's good to see you all. Thank you for

being here with us, worshiping with us here at Bethez's morning. If you

ever your Bible has turned with me to the Book of Acts, the Book

of Acts, we will start in verse thirty seven. In just a minute,

Acts chapter two, verse thirty seven. Acts Chapter two, verse thirty

seven, where we threw forty one in just a minute. The title of

my sermon today is how to respond to Jesus? How do we respond to

Jesus? Have you ever got a message or a call from someone, and

they may be called several times and wanted you to respond. Just this week,

Chloe had a Dennis appointment and they called to remind right. So they

were calling a reminder of the disappointment that called her and she's in Mexico and

the mission trip and they couldn't get her. So they called me and and

wanted me to call back as soon as I could and to confirm that appointment.

But they in calling, they're expecting Chloe or someone to respond, right.

Have you ever got a message that you really needed to respond to.

Maybe it was an email, maybe it was a phone call, maybe it

was a text message and maybe it just got lost in the email inbox with

so many other emails, or maybe the voicemail just got forgotten. Their text

message got below in your thread and you just forgot to respond, and then

you realized later on it was really important that you needed to follow up on,

and maybe there was a problem because you didn't follow up, or whatever

it may be. It was a time one of my verse vivid memories of

something of a message that I need to respond to that I neglected that really

could had had huge ramifications. When we were in the rock Kill I was

a youth pastor there and Caroline was like one, a little over one one

or two years old. Clube was four, and we went in to rock

Kill and Klode, I mean, Caroline had gotten a cold and we had

taken her to the pediatrician to be checked out and they did an X ray,

and you know, a week or so went by. She seemed just

to get along okay, and and then suddenly we got a letter in the

mail and it was from the pediatric I forgot what pediatric office we went to,

and it had my name on it, and somehow it just got lost

in the you know, the mail. I don't know about you. We

got a ton of mail then, and somehow that one letter got lost.

And I remember it was a Wednesday night and I was getting ready for church,

and I just so happened to find a stack of mail and go through

it, and I found that letter from the pediatric office and we opened it

up. And this is like two or three weeks had passed since that letter

had came in the mail. Opened up the letter, and then the letter

it says, dear MISSU and missus Barbie, we detected in the X ray

and I'm normal to you to your daughter's heart. Please call us as soon

as you can. Well you can imagine as a father, I felt just

awful, How what what have I done here? For three weeks have passed?

Maybe there's something going on? And they told us to call and I

never called. I never responded, and realized that there was a huge issue

that needed my attention and I failed to respond. Now, come to find

out, she was just wiggling a little bit during the X ray. Her

heart was okay. But how about that for you? You know today,

as we come to I asked chapter two, you know you may miss a

phone call from the dentist or you may miss a phone call or a message

from your doctor, and you may have missed out on some urgencies of some

issues that you face in your life. But the greatest message you've ever received

is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And everyone in this room and everyone watching

online today you must respond to this message. And it's very important how you

respond and what you will do with the message of the Gospel. This morning,

Peter, as we've been looking last few weeks, has presented the message

of the Gospel to these hearers and they're asking how should we respond? And

today Peter shows them demonstrates how to respond to the gospel. And so I

pray today that you consider how have I responded? You know, it was

an urgent message from the doctor. There's an urgent message from God the Father

today and you must decide for yourself how have I personally responded to the message

of Jesus. Have I responded in these ways? I pray today that if

you haven't done that, today will be the day that you respond to Jesus.

We stand with me. Let's read God's word together. It's Sachs chapter

two, and we'll start in verse thirty seven and the Bible says. And

now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to

Peter and the rest of the apostles, brothers, what shall we do.

And Peter said to them, repent and be baptized, every one of you

in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins. And you

receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and

for your children, and for all who are far off, everyone whom the

Lord our God calls to himself with many other words, He bore witness and

continue to exhort them, saying, save yourselves from this crooked generation. So

those who received his word were baptized, and they were added that day about

three thousand souls. Let's pray together. Father, I thank you Lord for

this morning. I thank you the message that you've sent to us this morning

through Jesus God. I thank you for the message that you've sent through the

work of your Holy Spirit today in this place, to those who are here

that are listening in this place, and those who are watching and listening online

and on TV. Today. God, you've provided a message for us today.

And Lord, it's not just a message that we are to read or

just here or does a message that we must respond to and say, Lord,

I pray today that you would lead us and how we should respond to

your message. Today. Lord, I pray for Lord. You know my

heart. Lord, do you know how much I need you? And Lord?

I pray God that you would feel me. Lord, Lord, use

me Lord today. I'm a sinful man, Lord that desperately needs your cleansing,

that desperately needs your feeling, and desperately needs you to use me today

as your instrument. So feel me, Lord that you might pour me out.

Lord, May I decrease and may you increase in and through me.

Lord, use me today. I pray in your name. We pray Amen.

You may be seated as we come to this passage of scripture. Just

want to remind you of a few things that are going on as we come

to the tax. As we come here, you're just remind you we are

a Peter sermon. This is at Pentecost, this is for two days after

Passover and um here they're gathering together for a one of the festivals or one

of the um that Jews would would take part in that would would was part

of the festival or part of the was coming back to Jerusalem. So this

was for Passover. They were coming back. Thousands, probably million Jews were

in Jerusalem for Passover. They're gathered together there at the same time at Pentecosts,

there was one hundred and twenty believers. They were in Jerusalem and they

were having a service, praying and worshiping, reading scripture together. And the

Bible says that the Holy Spirit came upon those believers like um, like a

wind coming through It came upon um, those one hundred and twenty believers,

and the Bible says they were all filled with the Holy Spirit like fire.

It spread upon every one of the believers, and it spread upon all of

them, and they all they all spoken tongues, and what is tongues as

we saw just a few weeks ago, tongues with them speaking in a known

language. And so there were but there was a language that was unknown to

them, meaning many of them who were Jews were speaking Egyptian or Jews who

were from Galilee, who were speaking some other language, foreign language, of

language that they did not know or have any knowledge over, wars it from

that area. It would be like me going to Tanzania and I'm not from

Tanzania. I don't speak Swahili, and the Holy Spirit feeling me that I

might speak Tampa to Tanzania speak Swahili, and they would say, how do

you speak Swahili. You're not from Tanzania, You're not from here. And

that was what was happening at that day one hundred and twenty. All spoke,

all spoke a different languages, but all spoken languages that were native to

the Jews that had gathered for Pentecosts. The Bible described as we looked,

they were that the Jews were amazed. They were drawn upon that thousands gathered

around these believers who were speaking in tongues, and they they were surprised,

they were amazed, and they had questions, two questions that we looked at

at depth in the last two weeks. First question was um. They were

asking, how can this be? How can this be? How can these

uneducated Jews from Jerusalem be speaking these foreign languages? Um? And so,

how can this be? They're uneducated, they don't know these languages. How

can they do this? And the second question was a question we examined last

week was what does this mean? What does this mean that they're that they're

filled with this Holy Spirit that they could speak in these these different languages,

and that, Peter answered, as we focused on last week, just a

simple message. What does this mean? Just responding to that question, what

does this mean, Peter said, simply, Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus

is Lord. And now as we come to this passage of scripture, they

must decide with what they're going to do with this message of the Gospel.

That Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus is Lord, and that Jesus who is

the Messiah, that Jesus who is Lord, is the Jesus that they crucified.

Look at the verse just before we read verse thirty six. Let all

of the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both

Lord and Christ. There's the message. What does this mean. Jesus is

both Lord and he is Christ. He is Lord and he is the Messiah.

And listen to the message. Here this Jesus whom you crucified. It's

Jesus who is Lord, who is Messiah. And Jews, all the house

of Israel, man, it be known you are a sinner and you killed

this Messiah. The Bible says, look at what happens. They hear this

message, and the Bible says, let in verse thirty seven. Now when

they listen to this, they heard this, they were cut to the heart.

He ever felt that way. I've had a note from me personally and

in my own life, and and I've also heard many testimonies among other people

throughout ministry. It's as preacher, were you watching me last week? It

seemed like you were preaching to only me. This morning, it seemed like

the message was speaking to just what I was dealing with. And how many

times have I it seemed like I've read a passage of scripture and it seemed

like there's just the passage or the sermon. Their message is speaking directly to

my heart exactly the way I feel just reading some books this week, and

I feel that they're speaking like they've been watching me. And I know the

writer doesn't you know who I am? That's the imagery of this passage.

The Gospel is spoken, then these Jews are cut to the heart. God

speaking to the heart. But give to their question. Upon God speaking to

the heart, they're asking what should they do? They said to Peter and

the rest of the apostles, brothers, what shall we do? What must

we do? How are we to respond? Well, this morning, as

we walked through this Peter's last part of his message, he outlines of how,

what, who, and of responding to Jesus. So the how,

what, who, and why to respond to Jesus. First, Peter responds

to their question of what shall we must do? He says, Peter says

to them, repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name

of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins, and you receive the gift

of the Holy Spirit. So how should we respond to Jesus? What must

we do? You hear the imagery? What must we do? What?

How are we to do? This? The Jews are asking. I think

it's important that you understand they're asking for something to do, and that would

be that would be very logical for Jews their whole lives. They have done

what they have worked out their salvation through works, right through being a good

Jew, by attending the Sabbath, by going to these difference required feast and

festivals and different things that prescribe through the law. As a good Jew,

They've been trying to work out their salvation by doing things and so now they

hear God speak in their first response is what must we do? What else

do we need to do now in order to be right with the Lord.

I want you to think about also in scripture that we see the importance of

m Scripture tells us about seeing evidence of salvation. But I think it's important

when you come to this pastor scripture here Peter says for two things that they

are to do. Look at the imagery in verse thirty eight, and Peter

says to them two things, right, two things for them to do,

repent and be baptized. So as you first read that, and you said,

well, a pastor, how to irrespond to Jesus? The very simple

is repent and be baptizing. And that's what I'm to do. And I

think those are very important. But I want you to understand that Scripture teaches

when you look at a passage of scriptures, look at the Book of Acts,

we don't look at an isolation, meaning that we just don't take an

understanding of how to be saved solely for the Book of Acts. Get theology

as you look at the whole scripture list all the Bible was. The Bible

says about being saved well. In Phesians chapter two, verse eight, it

says this about being saved for by grace, you have been saved? What

through what faith? And listen to what says. This is not your own

doing, it is what It is the good gift of God, not the

result of what works, so that no one may boast. So how is

someone saved well? Ephesians Paul would say, you're saved by grace? What

through what faith? And this is what not of your own doing, but

is the gift of God? Right, So how do we reconcile what Paul?

Paul says and Ephesians that salvation is through faith. And whereas Peter says

here in this message to the Jews that you're what must we do? You

must first be You must first repent and be baptized. Because if you take

it in isolation, you would say just an act. You could say,

well, one is responds by just being baptized and repentant and repent. Well,

but I can tell you firsthand and today as well as you know,

there are many people who've been baptized, who who have said they're repented,

that are not right with the Lord. They're dependent upon works, but they

don't have any faith. So it's faith. What it's faith that we are

saved. But I want you to go back and I want to be Devil's

advocate. And passages that we read this week, right, if you read

through our Bible reading plan, we've been reading through Matthew. And in Matthew,

Jesus talks about the angels that he's going to send upon the earth to

judge the earth. Right at the very end of all things, He's going

to send his angels, and he gonna judge every man on the earth.

And what is Matthew sixteen twenty seven says, for the son of Man is

going to come with his angels and the glory of his father. And then

who will pay each person what in accordance to what he has what done?

So you would say that will, master, Will you say salvation is by

faith, and it's not by works, so that anyone may boast, but

it is the gift of God. But here it says when Jesus comes,

he's going to send his angels, He's going to judge him according to what

they have done. What seems like it's contradicting Will, Scripture doesn't ever contradict

itself. By the way, if you also see another pastor, we say

last week was Batthew thirteen, and Jesus is doing the parable of the solar

right. And he says, the son of Man plants good seed, and

the good seed what produces fruit. And then in verse forty one says,

the Son of Man will send angels and they will gather out of his kingdom

all causes, the sins and lawbreakers, and they'll throw them into the fiery

furnace. So what is he judging them for for what they have done?

Again, it's another example, but now the imagery of the solar right.

There are those who produce what good seed or good fruit, and to those

who produce bad seeds bad fruit. So you say, pastor, what does

this all mean? What are you trying to say today? I think what

as you bring these passages together, I think what Peter is wanting you to

understand and what we're going to see in this passage of scripture that repentance and

baptism is evidence of faith. Hear me. Scripture says you're saved what by

faith? It's not by works at least no man will boast. But it's

a gift of God. What Peter is saying here that what must you do?

Well, you must first be baptized, and I mean first be repent.

And your repentance is a demonstration or evidence of your faith. Now let's

see that in scripture. Think about it from me just a minute. Who's

Peter talking to He's talking to Jews. Now, what did Jews believed as

far as being saved? How was one saved as a Jew? Well,

Jews believed, as we know in Romans and other scriptures that Jews believed that

a Jew was saved simply being born a Jew. Not only being born a

Jew, but also doing good works. The Jews. Secondly, as we

understand, these Jews one day believe salvation was through being born a Jew.

They also believed by doing works. But the Jews didn't believe that Jesus was

the Messiah. They were so adamant that they did not believe Jesus was the

Messiah that had created a band of leaders and the God leaders and Pharisees to

do what to rise up and have him crucified. Now Peter says to them,

Jesus is Lord and the Messiah, and whom you crucified. And then

Peter says this, you Jews, repent. Repent. Now, this word

repent comes from the idea of change, to turn around, to turn back,

or to turn around. It actually comes from the imagery in Jeremiah four

or twenty eight. Jeremiah four twenty eight, it describes God not turning back.

And this is what it says. For this earth of shall mourn and

the heavens above be dark. For I have spoken, I have purpose,

I have not relented. Listen to this imagery. I will not turn back.

That's the imagery of repentance is turning back. Here God is saying,

I will not repent. I will not turn back. In the New Testament,

this is idea. Repentance is one of Luke's favorite terms for describing someone,

how someone to how someone should respond to Jesus. In Luke twenty four

or forty seven, he talks about disciples pre repentance. He says in that

repentance for the forgiveness of sin shall be proclaimed in the name to all nations

beginning from Jerusalem. Repentance very plainly was changed, a turning from direction to

change one's heart, a spiritual as F. F. Bruce says, and

a spiritual about face, and it was essential for the heart of a believer.

Now, if you think about that. For the Jews, he says,

they said, what must we do? They believed salvation was what they

were saved already because they were born Jews. They were saved already because what

they had done good works. They were even that Pentecost that day, They've

done a lot of good things. They were okay. The Jews also believed

that Jesus was not the Messiah. The Jews also believed that so adamantly they

killed Jesus. Now, Peter says, what no longer here, Your life

and your spiritual walk is headed towards what I'm okay. I'm okay, I've

got I'm born at you. I've done good things, and I don't believe

in that Jesus, and I don't believe in that Messiah. And he's telling

them what. I want you to turn around. I want you to change

now. I want you to say, what I am a sinner. I'm

not right with God. I thought I was just because I was born as

with you. But I'm not right with God. Not only I'm not right

with God, but I killed the one that God sent and I believe that

Jesus is the Messiah, and I'm going to put my faith not in what

my Judaism mama works. I'm gonna put my faith in Jesus for salvation.

I'm gonna believe that he is Lord. That was a total turn of direction

from what they once believed. Their faith was once in their religion. Now

their faith is in who Jesus. He says to them, what repent,

repent, turn away, put your faith in Jesus. Now. It's a

total turn from the direction of faith that they once put their faith in.

They once listen, They once trusted in themselves for salvation. Now they trust

in Jesus for salvation. I wonder today, as you think about how you've

responded to Jesus, how have you responded to the gospel message. I'll ask

you today, what's your faith then, and how have you demonstrated a change

of faith. Maybe you, much like those Jews, have depended upon your

goodness, your good works, maybe your church attendants, maybe the things that

you've done in the past. But there's no evidence of fruit in your life

today. There's no evidence that you have turned her life towards Jesus today.

Could I ask you today, would you repent, would you turn back from

serving and worshiping, following your own works and depending upon your own self for

salvation, and turn your faith to Jesus for salvation, that you put your

trust in Him to save you. There was a story of I don't know

if you ever heard of Louise Quilau. He was evangelist. A lot of

times you hear about Louise on the radio. He's done evangelism all over the

world. And one day there was a story of a woman. He was

in Peru and he was doing an evangelism there and there was a lady name

there. Her name was Rosero. She was a terrorist. She was an

expert in martial arts, and she had killed twelve policemen throughout her life.

She acts he was conducting a crusade in Lima, Perud, and she learned

of it, and being really indifferent to the message of the gospel, she

made it her plan that she was going to go to the crusade and she

was going to kill Louise blow. She made her way to the stadium.

She got into the stadium, she contemplated how she was going to get to

him. She began as she was there. She was waiting to enact her

plan, and he started preaching, and he preached on the own hell.

During that message, she became convicted of her sin and she embraced Jesus as

her savior. Ten years later, her life was totally changed. Ten years

later, she met Louise and she's since then has assisted in planting five churches

in a vibrant witness for the Lord has found in an orphanage that now houses

one thousand children. You see for his area. Her life was depending upon

herself. She was trusting in herself, and she made what a change.

She turned direction and she put her faith in Jesus and it radically changed her

life. You see, repentance was evidence of faith. The second evidence of

faith is what baptih baptism. He says to them, what repent and what

be baptized. You see for these Jews that turning from Judaism to Jesus was

demonstrated in their repentance, but it's also demonstrated in their baptism. Now and

John's preaching, as we're going to this passion of scripture. John's preaching baptism

was was understood. It was a common prightness where it was seen in the

New Testament and the first part of the Gospels. We see the followers of

John the baptism John, the Baptists, being baptized in order to be followers.

And as they were being baptized, what were they being baptized? They

were baptized into what repentance? He was asking them to turn from their sins?

So that was a common understanding. It would have been very common to

the hearers the Jews to receive baptism. But look at the baptism that Peter

describes it. There to do, he says, Now, when they heard

this, they were the heart. Peter said to the rest of the apostles.

Or they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brothers,

what shall we do? And Peter said to them, repent and be baptized.

Now, listen to how do you describe baptism, every one of you,

in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin. Here he

demonstrate two new features of baptisms, that baptism that we don't see in the

New Testament. First, the administration of baptism should be in the name of

Jesus Here and and here's why that's important. He says, baptized every one

of you, and what the name of Jesus Christ. Now there were those

and we're going to see this later on as we go through the Gospel,

I mean through the book of Acts. There were those who were baptizing the

name of John, the Baptists, there were those who baptized as followers of

other people. Here he's saying, you're being baptized in the name of Jesus

for the Jews. Again, this is very important. Why because Jesus was

the one that they crucified, right, Jesus was the one that they did

not believe the Messiah. Jesus the one that they denied that he was sent

by God or even was divine, that he was just a galilee and he

was came, that he was a simple man. He even called him a

drunk, right, and so they this was not the Lord. And for

now, to show what I'm turning away, I'm being baptized in the name

of Jesus. I'm identifying through my baptism that I believe he is what.

He's not just a man. He is defined, he is a Lord.

And listen, he is mind Messiah. This was a confession now to follow

in baptism, and the name of Jesus was them to confess that Jesus is

Lord of my life. The second is the association of the gift of the

Holy Spirit. Here I'm repenting be baptized every one of you in the name

of the Jesus Christ or forgiveness in and what you received. Listen to this

imagery. You receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It's the imagery that

not being baptized now it is also evidence that you have believed in Jesus,

but also that you have received the Holy Spirit. It's a demonstration, it's

a sign of what's happened in the heart. I heard a story of a

pastor one time, and he was talking to a new convert and he was

talking about an importance of baptism. He used his hand and you can see

on this stage here with the lighting, you see my hand over on this

wall many different places, evidently, and he was explaining that the hand is

the real thing, right the shadow is this a shadow of the real thing.

And he explained that when you came to Jesus, you believed in Jesus,

and that was real baptism you were joined with him, and what happened

to him also happened to him. Now Jesus was alive, and he died

and was buried, and he rose from the dead. And that's what happened

when you believed in him. He pointed to the shadow in the sand.

He was on the beach. It says, when you go down into the

water and raised up again, that pictures of what already happened. Water.

Baptism is a picture, a symbol that teaches us what happened to us when

we believed in Lord Jesus. He said, that's what baptism is, and

that's what it was. For the Jews, it was a symbol. The

real thing was what Jesus had done in their heart, the faith that they

put in Jesus. They believed in Jesus, how Jesus had radically what changed

their heart from the inside out. Baptism was what just a shadow of what

happened on the inside that day, What died of their sins of believing in

themselves for salvation and God what raised them again? And He made them a

new creature in Christ. And now they had faith in Jesus. And now

what they had the Holy spirit within them? You see, he tells them

what to do, repent and be baptized. I wonder today, many of

you here today, you maybe had this change inside of you. That's the

real thing that has really happened. How have you expressed that through baptism?

Have you been obedient to show that in baptism? Does baptism save you?

Absolutely not. Baptism is just that outward sign of an inward reality. But

here's the thing today. Have you declared that with your life? Have you

declared that through obedience and baptism? He says to them what should we do?

And that's the how repent and be baptized? And then he secondly shows

them what do they receive? What do you receive by responding to Jesus and

faith with an evidence or repentance and baptism? What do you receive? Well,

he says two things here and I'm trying to go quickly through these.

First, forgiveness, what would you receive when you're responding to Jesus forgiveness forgiveness

of sins? This and what he says, brothers, what shall we do?

And Peter says, they we're repent and be baptized. Every one of

you in the name of Jesus Christ. For what for the forgiveness of your

sins? What did he tell those shoes? This is Jesus who is Lord

and Christ, in whom you crucified. You have sinned against the Holy God,

you sinned against the Savior. But can I tell you the good news

is today there's forgiveness. There's forgiveness in Jesus heard the story of a young

boy. His name was Charles Broadway a Rouse. He lived in West Chancester

of Virginia. He grew up in short Church, but he came from a

poor family and his mom was a widow and he lived with her. But

Charles went to church. He was in sending school, he sang in the

choir. He was really involved and in the church. But Charles got involved

with the wrong people about around um some bad issues and got involved in crime

and was eventually thrown into jail. The church members really was burdened for Charles,

and they actually drew up in petition to the governor for him to be

pardoned. And after a long time and a lot of work, the governor

pardoned Charles. The church decided they would take a group from church and they

will all go to the day that he was released, and they would get

him and take him from there. And from there that group took him straight

to the church. And there at church was the whole body who had gathered

together. And as he came in that day, those in the church committed

that they were going to forgive him, forgiving him of his sins. And

they said this to him, we want you to come right back into church.

Take your place in Sunday school in the choir. The past is blotted

out, forgiven and forgotten, though he had never been. Can I tell

you that's what forgiveness is. And that's something that only Jesus can provide for

you as a church that worked really hard at trying to be just what Jesus

is. But there's no one who can forgive you like Jesus. There's some

of you here today, and you have haunted by the sins of your past.

You try to redo them, You try to try to do good deeds

to outweigh the things that you've done bad in your life. But there is

no way that you'll ever repay or ever outdo more good than you've done bad.

Your only hope today it's fine forgiveness in Jesus, and that's only comes

through repentance and baptism. That's only comes through faith in Jesus. But through

faith in Jesus, listen today, you can be forgiven today. It can

be blotted out today. It can be forgiven and forgotten today. It can

be as if it never ever happen. Will you respond to his message?

The second thing that they receive by responding Jesus, there were or receive the

Holy Spirit. What a ministry of the Holy Spirit. I could spend another

hour just talking about the Holy Spirit, and we're definitely going to look at

that a lot in the next months to come in the Books of Acts.

But I love what one writer pastor said about the Holy Spirit. What Goud

chooses, he cleanses. What God cleanses, he molds, what God molds

he feels, and what God feels he uses. Now that is the work

of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit cleanses, he molds, he feels,

and he uses. Here they've been walking in their own power and their own

strength, and that day as they put their faith in Jesus and they demonstrated

that through repentance and baptism, what do they receive they receive forgiveness. They

receive the power of the Holy Spirit, which is called Dunamas dynamite power.

Today, what are you walking in? Are you walking in your own strength

and you're absent the strength of the Holy Spirit within you to cleanse you,

to feel you, to use you, to guide you today. He wants

to fill you with this Holy Spirit. Will you respond? As we keep

going today, I want you to see just the who and the wise we

finish up. Who should respond? Scripture says in this passage at verse thirty

nine, and Peter said to them repining, to be baptized, every one

of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of sins,

and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is

for you and for your children and all who are far off, everyone and

whom are God caused to himself the gospel, this message salvation, it's for

everyone. It's a very important message. And for the second time we won't

be able to delve into it. We definitely will, and the days to

come, and the message has come as we walk through the Book of But

Peter is signaling that the Gospel alone here is not only for the Jews any

longer. Salvation it is for the Jews and for the Gentiles, for everyone.

For the history of Judaism, salvation had seen an old Testament was only

for God's chosen people. As we looked at Joshua, Israel was God's chosen

people and everyone else, and Israel was to be anale, to be wiped

out, to be moved out. Now salvation is not only for the Jews,

but it's for all people. It's for the gentiles, it's for every

race, it's for every class, it's for every person, from every walk

of life, from young to old. It's for everyone. The Gospel is

for everyone. I love what Ephesians two thirteenth says. But now in Christ,

you who are once far off, have been brought near by the blood

of Christ. That's the imagery that the Gospel has gone out to the gentiles,

those who are are all from God. I can't tell you today the

Gospels for everyone, no matter how whether your church or unchurched, know things

about God, knows things about the Bible, know nothing about the Bible.

Whether you have committed a little sin or created a lot of different sin.

The Gospel is for everyone, whether you're rich or poor, young or old.

The Gospel is for everyone. Lastly, why should we respond what he

says in closing here, listen to the imagery with me who witnesses he bore.

He continued to exhort them, saying, save yourself from this crooked generation.

He's alluding to Versus thirty four and thirty five of the same chapter.

And David did not ascend into heavens, but he himself saying, the Lord

is at my right right hand. The Lord said to my Lord, said

it my right hand, and until I make your enemies your footstool. And

that passage is a promise, a prophetic promise that God was going to put

Jesus at his right hand and he would stay there until one day what God

was going to bring judgment to who Jesus's enemies Jesus is alluding to this?

And are Peter's alluding to this? Jews? You've crucified Jesus and you're part

of a crook kid Jews and Jewish culture that's going to face the judgment of

God. God's judgment is going to come, and God's going to deliver them

over to the Lord until he makes his enemies his footstool. You're part of

that Jews. Save yourself. Save yourself from the judgment of God. The

judgment of God is coming. Can I tell you today? Said? Why

should you respond? Right? Should you respond to Jesus? Because the message

is urgent. I've got an urgent message in the mail about Caroline's heart.

Reality is today God provided you an urgent message about your heart. You're a

sinner and God's judgment's coming. And it's your choice today whether you respond to

this message and faith, and you'll demonstrate the evidence your faith and repentance and

baptism today. By responding to Jesus, you foresee forgiveness. He'll wipe away

the sin of your life like it never happened. Today, you or see

the power of the Holy Spirit. Hey, it's for you. This message

is for everyone that's here and today. Why should you do it? Cause

Judgment's coming. Heard a story as I closed. It was a hatheists barber.

He was writing with a minister as they were going through the slums of

a city, and the barber said to the pastor, he said, if

there's a loving God, how can he permit how he can he allow this

poverty, suffering? And violence among these people. Why don't you just save

them all from this? Just then, a bum kind of walked across the

street, and he was unshaven, and he was filthy, and he had

long, scraggly hair hanging down his neck. The pastor pointed to the man,

and he said to the barber, He said, barbe, hey,

you're a barber, and claimed to be a good one. Why don't you

allow that man? Why do you allow that man to go unkept and unshaven?

He said, why? Why? Why you're a barber. You can

do something about it. Why don't you Why do you allow that to happen?

The barber kind of shruddered a little bit. He says, well,

he never gave me a chance to fix him up. The pastor says,

exactly, men are the way they are because they reject God's help. The

message is for you today. You are the way you are because listen,

God's given you salvation. He provided you the message of how he can totally

change your life forever. The problem is not with the Lord. The problem

is with what will you let him? Will you respond to his message?

Will you let him clean you? Will you let him forgive you? Will

you let him fill you. Will you put your faith in him today?

Would you pray with me every head about every close Father. I thank you

Lord for this message. Or I pray that we would today really examine as

you're speaking of, how will we respond to you, Jesus, And have

we responded to you? Lord? Maybe the answer today is that we are

where we are today because we've not responded. We are the way we are

today because we won't allow you, Lord to come in and take over.

Cleanse us, forgive us, restore us, renew us from the inside out.

I pray Lord today that there would be people in this room and online

today day who would surrender to you, Lord Jesus and say, Lord,

today, I want to put my faith in you Lord to save me.

I'm tired of depending upon my goodness or my works or or today. I

want to put my faith in you to save me. Lord. I want

to demonstrate that through repentance. Today are repent Lord of my sin. And

I turn to you God. I turn to you Lord Jesus today. Lord,

I want to take steps of being baptized and demonstrate what you've done in

my life. Lord. Lord today, forgive me, Lord, kill me.

Lord with your spirit, Lord, I pray today they'd be people all

over this room I'm watching online today who would to cry out to you for

salvation. We love you today. I thank you Lord for your word,

lead us in the time of response. Your name, we pray. Amen.

He just painted, and all to him.